In two previous posts (see the links below), I discussed the meaning of the divine name El Shaddai. When I wrote my first post, I mentioned that this name for God had inspired a beautiful Christian song by Michael Card titled “El Shaddai.”

This song has been popularized by Amy Grant. The song is known and loved by many Christians and it is sung in Christian churches regularly. The song begins with these words:

El Shaddai, El Shaddai, El Elyon na AdonaiAge to age You’re still the sameBy the power of Your name.El Shaddai, El Shaddai, Erkamka na AdonaiWe will praise and lift You highEl Shaddai.

Although Christians love and sing this song often, few Christians know the meaning of the words “Erkamka na Adonai.” I have asked several Christians if they know the meaning of “Erkamka na Adonai” and I have never found a person who knows the origin and meaning of these words.

In fact, when someone asked the meaning of Erkamka in Yahoo, the answer was: “This is a mixture of Hebrew and gibberish. It means nothing at all.”

After I finished writing my posts on El Shaddai, I decided to write a post on “Erkamka na Adonai” and explain the origin and meaning of these three words. I will begin explaining these words in reverse order.

Before I explain the meaning of these words, it will be necessary to quote the Hebrew text in order to clarify the meaning of Erkamka na Adonai. If you do not see the Hebrew fonts as you read this post or if the words look like gibberish in your computer, you will need to download the Biblical fonts and install them on your computer.

Download the biblical fonts here. If you install the Biblical fonts on your computer, you will always be able to see the Hebrew and Greek letters on your computer screen. You will even be able to print Hebrew and Greek words.

Adonai (Hebrew: אֲדֹנַי):

The word “Adonai” is a title applied to God. The word is translated “Lord” or “My Lord.” In English translations of the Bible, it is necessary to differentiate between the words “Lord” and “LORD.” Every time the word “Lord” is used in the Bible, the Hebrew behind the word is “Adonai.” Every time the word “LORD” is used, the Hebrew behind the word is “YHWH.”

In the post-exilic period, most Jews refused to speak the divine name in public. So, the Masoretes wrote the vowels of Adonai with the consonants for the divine name YHWH. In translation, this hybrid name became “Jehovah” (see my post on “Jehovah” here).

Na (Hebrew: נָּא [nā]):

The Hebrew word nā is a particle of entreaty or exhortation. This means that when the word is used in the text, it carries the idea of “please,” “I pray,” or “now.” A good example of its use is found in Genesis 12:13. Abraham, speaking to Sarah said: “I pray thee” (Genesis 12:13 KJV); “Please” (Genesis 12:13 NAS).

Another good example is found in Psalm 118:25, where the psalmist praying to the Lord said: “We beseech Thee, O LORD, save now” (Psalm 118:25 JPS). The expression “save now” in Hebrew is hôshî‘ânā . The same expression was used by the people of Jerusalem when they welcomed Jesus with these words: “Hosanna” (Mark 11:9), or as the Complete Jewish Bible translates: “Please! Deliver us.”

Erkamka

This word comes from the beginning words of Psalm 18:1. In Hebrew, this verse reads:

אֶרְחָמְךָ֖ יְהוָ֣ה חִזְקִֽי

The transliteration of these Hebrew words into English reads as follows:

The Hebrew word for love is רׇחַם ( rāḥam), a words that means “to have mercy,” “to be compassionate.” This is the same root for the word translated “womb” in the English Bible. Psalm 18:1 is the only example in the Hebrew Bible where Yahweh appears as the object of the verb rāḥam. The use of the verb with the meaning of love appears to reflect the influence of Aramaic. For this reason, some authors have proposed different readings, but these proposals have not found acceptance among scholars.

But how did the Hebrew ‘erḥāmeḵā become “Erkamka”? It is possible that when the song was written, the author used the transliteration of the word found in the Strong Concordance. Strong transliterates the word rāḥam as “rakham.” Thus, the word ‘erḥāmeḵā would be translated “erkamka,” by dropping the “h” of “rakham” and by not using the half-vowel “e.”

The word Erkamka as it appears in the song has two problems. The first problem is that the Hebrew letter ח should be translated with a “h” and not a “k.” The second problem is that the second sheva in the Hebrew word is a vocal sheva and not silent, thus there should be a half-vowel (a small “e” after the מ), the “m” of Erkamka.

When asked for the meaning of “Erkamka na Adonai,” Michael Card wrote that the expression means “We will love You, Oh, Lord.”

The verb ‘erḥāmeḵā is first person. The correct translation is “I love you,”not “we will love you.” The particle “nā” is not in the Hebrew text. So, it is possible that the “nā” was introduced into the song under the influence of the English translation (the “O” in “O LORD”).

What is the lesson Christians should learn from the mistransliteration of Erkamka na Adonai? The lesson is that when trying to discover how to transliterate Hebrew words into English, one must be aware of the problem in using Strong’s Concordance.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I am happy to know that you enjoyed my post. If you look at the archive, I am sure you will read many posts that will help you gain a better understanding of the Old Testament.

Most people in the church of which I was a pastor did not know the meaning of those words either. I am glad to know that my post helped you. I hope you visit my blog often. I seek to write posts that clarifies difficult issues in the Bible.

I am a fluent Hebrew speaker. I knew the El Shaddai song when I was little and I liked it a lot. Back then I knew no Hebrew :), but I knew that El Shaddai was G-d’s name.
Now after a lot of years I wanted to hear this song again, and I looked for its lyrics. The few versions of the word “Erkamka” or “Erkahmka”… It intrigued me, since it didn’t sound to me “love” (well, I know the spoken Hebrew, not the high Hebrew) I searched for more info. I knew there should be the “מך…” ending. First I got to PROZ.com website, where someone else asked teh same question, and in the answer your website was quoted.

The explanation is really good and with the “true spirit of the Bible”.

wow. thanks. my research stemmed from my research of my devotions this morning as I read Psalm 91. I read the reference for the Almighty…Shaddai. Then I remembered the song I used to love. I usually mumbled thought that part, but I went to YouTube to enjoy the song once more and found you. Thanks again.

This is an excellent explanation of something that has bothered me for a long time. As a Hebrew fluent Jew, and lover of Jesus, the mistranslation in this, admittedly, beautiful song has made me crazy.

Whales worse, there was no need for the mistranslation in order to keep the lyrics fluid. Erhameka Adonai would remain as fluid.

I appreciate the the explanation of the name and how you arrived at it. I had just finished praying to God about my sister and asking him for mercy. The Holy Spirit requested El Shaddai. When I try to sing the song along with Amy. He had me stumble over the Erkamka na Adonai (as if something was not right). So, I went to the internet and found you. I know now that the Holy Spirit was leading me to the mercy of GOD. I recite and praise the names of GOD as part of my worship and prayers. I am led, by the HOLY SPIRIT to do this. Thank you. GOD bless.

Thank you for your comment. I apologize for the delay in answering your comment. My blog was out for several days for repairs.

It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works. Many times when we do not know what to do, the Spirit guides us to a place where we can find the answer. I am sure that God answered your prayer on behalf of your sister. The ministry of intercessory prayer is a ministry that more Christian should accept.

I have loved this song since I heard it for the first time. I like the musicality as well as the words. Being a Hebrew student, the word erkamka bothered me until I came across your blog. Thank you so much for enlightening this old student of the ancient words.We will be singing the corrected version in our congregation form now on.

I am glad to know that my post helped you understand the meaning of the word and also helped you sing that beautiful song with a better understanding of its meaning.

By the way, welcome to my blog. If you go to Archive you will find many other posts that I know you will enjoy reading. Also, you can subscribe to my blog. This way you will receive all my posts by email.

I have been leading a class on the Hebrew Names of God, today is on El Shaddai. I listened to Amy singing the song and saw the Hebrew word, Erkamka na Adonai. Of course I wanted to know what it meant. Thank you for explaining it. I will take that knowledge to my class today. I love His Hebrew Names. I have found myself closer to my Father by learning more of Him. Ann

Wow! Thank you. I’m growing in grace daily and this is a wonderful eye opener. I’ve loved that song and today I woke up singing it…don’t know why other than God wanted to teach me more. I’m so glad my search engine brought up your article.

Dr. Claude Mariottini

I have been professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary since 1988. I was born in Brazil. I graduated from California Baptist College, Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, The Southern Baptist Seminary, and have done additional graduate work at the Graduate Theological Union. I have pastored churches in California, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois. I have published more than 200 articles and book reviews in English, Spanish, and Russian. My academic works have been published in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, The Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, The Holman Bible Dictionary, Jewish Bible Quarterly, Perspective in Religious Studies, The Expository Times, Biblical Illustrator, Old Testament Abstracts, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, The Journal of Biblical Literature, and Biblical Archaeologist.